Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to roaming users in mobile networks. More specifically, the invention relates to steering the traffic of the roaming users in VoIP clients.
VoIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol) services use Internet Protocol to carry voice and related content, and, beside other advantages, offer better rates than traditional switched-circuit voice services (so-called “Plain Old Telephone Service” or POTS), and can also provide better and more efficient integration of other data services as well, such as multimedia, context and video.
The advent and widespread use of the VoIP client Skype on personal computers has increased the popularity of VoIP services. In addition to built-in presence management and instant messaging, Skype also provides “Skype-out” for calling out to, and “Skype-in” for receiving calls from, fixed or mobile phone lines. Other providers, such as MSN®, Yahoo®, and Google®, have also added VoIP service to their instant messaging clients.
Cellular IP phones, such as a window-enabled mobile GSM WiFi phone, configured with a Skype client, allow the IP phone user to enjoy the same free VoIP service as a personal computer Skype user. This, however, requires a special WiFi phone, or a dual-system phone with a Skype client installed.
Skype has also enhanced its VoIP client and service, to enable a user to receive calls to his Skype ID or Skype-IN number on an ordinary mobile, or on a fixed line phone via call forwarding. Additionally, ISkoot™—a Skype add-on service, allows a user to make outbound Skype calls to either a phone number or another Skype ID with ordinary mobile phones, by using SMS to send call out information to the ISkoot™ service. Thus, a two-way call out bridge, connecting the caller's mobile phone and his called party, is established. The bridge may use Skype Out to call both the called party and the caller's mobile number. Skype also provides a plug-in API, (Applications Programming Interface), used to develop presence information applications at network servers in a scalable manner, as well as server side APIs to support simultaneous VoIP calls.
However, whether a GSM/WiFi (or WiMax or VoIP) mobile phone is used or an ordinary phone is used, these services fail to address the case in which a mobile user is roaming when called on his ordinary mobile phone number. For example, in the case of GSM WiFi phone, even though the phone can make an inexpensive outbound Skype call when it is on a WiFi connection, it cannot seamlessly receive a call over VoIP when called on the WiFi phone's mobile number. Another unaddressed case is when an ordinary cell phone is called on its mobile number while roaming—the call cannot be received via Skype on the user's laptop, even if the user is connected online to an IP connection and the mobile is out of its coverage area. Normally, a mobile subscriber roaming internationally might prefer to receive calls over Skype or his VoIP account either to save money on roaming charges, for improved quality, or in order to benefit from the additional presence or other services associated with their chosen VoIP method.
Yet another missing case is an enhanced Skype call-in service to forward a call to an SMS alert, or for a mobile phone to use SMS to set up a bridged VoIP call via a VoIP-to-POTS service such as Skype Out. That type of call setup would assist an international roamer to carry on the desired phone call without needing to pay his home mobile carrier lofty international roaming charges.
The co-pending VoIP Call Rerouting Patent Application describes a service that allows automatic rerouting of a call to a mobile or fixed line subscriber over an IP network to the subscriber's phone. That VoIP Call Rerouting Patent Application teaches a way for a special cellular VoIP integrated handset to detect a broadband IP connection, enabling the client to automatically set call forwarding to the VoIP number that corresponds to the current IP address. A similar concept also applies to any ordinary mobile phone, so that as soon as a mobile goes on roaming, a user may receive calls on a VoIP phone number corresponding to the user's location via IP.
That co-pending VoIP Call Rerouting Patent Application also describes a service that allows a mobile or fixed line subscriber to receive a call automatically rerouted over an IP network at the subscriber mobile. This application also teaches how an ordinary phone can accomplish this rerouting to a VoIP mobile phone, and how VPMN, HPMN or IP service providers can enable this service based on various business models.
In accordance with the foregoing, there is a need in the art for a system, method, computer product and service which, will automatically route a call to the subscriber's non-VoIP wireless or fixed line number over IP to the subscriber's VoIP client when a subscriber's VoIP client is online. The subscriber's wireless or fixed line carrier or home wireless network operator may perform the routing operation, and can condition the routing to depend on whether the non-VoIP number is roaming or not answering.